New Zealand woos Indian students

Kolkata, Nov 13 (IANS) Universities in New Zealand are wooing Indians students saying they are a better option than Britain and US-based institutions.

'Every year, over 5,000 students migrate from India to New Zealand. The figure contributes nearly 10 percent of the total immigration quota of the country,' said Sanjay Dhar, managing director Zealvision Ltd, a New Zealand-based immigration and student consultancy firm.

'As studying in Britain, the US and other countries may not be viable because of high cost and visa regulations, Indian students are increasingly looking for ways in the Pacific to fulfil their dreams abroad.'

New Zealand offers default extension of work permit with minimal requirements. It also allows students, coming from foreign shores, to recover the cost of study after they complete education within 9-12 months.

'There's huge opportunity lying in New Zealand mainly in business management, IT and computer application, hospitality management, automobile and aviation sector. For the past few years, we are observing a good trend that a large number of students - from Punjab, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh - are shifting their base to New Zealand,' Dhar said.